The Rush with PGA champ Collin Morikawa

Webb Simpson has highly discerning eyes and hands when it comes to his equipment. He has a very specific feel he’s seeking from his irons, but it’s been difficult in recent years to find a set that checks all of the boxes with each club. In the last year alone, Simpson has used three different Titleist iron sets, including the T100, the 620 MB and the 680 Forged. According to Titleist Tour rep J.J. Van Wezenbeeck – who works closely with Titleist staffers on their equipment needs – Simpson has different things he likes (and dislikes) about each of the three models. Simpson, whose seven TOUR wins include THE PLAYERS and U.S. Open, has been playing the 680 Forged irons off-and-on since they first came out in 2003, and he’s most comfortable with the shaping and increased offset of the irons. The 620 MB irons, which came out in 2019, have a more compact shape with less offset, and although Simpson prefers the shape of the 680’s, he likes the size of the 620’s. The T100 irons, on the other hand, were released in 2021 and have a modern cavity-back construction, and while Simpson prefers blade style designs, he did like the sole shaping, grooves and performance out of the rough with the T100’s. He hasn’t been able to find the perfect iron, so instead of continuing to accept trade-offs, Titleist simply gave Simpson the custom prototype treatment. On Tuesday, Simpson revealed an all-new set of ‘682.WS’ irons that combine everything he likes about his previous 680 Forged, 620 MB and T100 iron models. They’re built exactly to his preferences using special Titleist machines. Simpson told GolfWRX.com that he likely won’t play the irons just yet, however, since it’s his first week receiving them, and windy conditions are expected in Sea Island. “I wanted the blade look and setup, but I wanted the new grooves,” Simpson told GolfWRX. “They kind of have the T100 grooves. I had a lot of success out of the rough with the T100’s, but I still wanted the blade look and feel, and they kind of converge into one iron. It looks just like the (680 Forged irons). It was all JJ’s idea. He thought of it and he wanted to get going on this special project for me. It’s very exciting. They’ll be in play next tournament for sure. They’re beautiful, they’re awesome.” Only two players have received the same custom treatment previously: Justin Thomas with his 621.JT models, and Adam Scott with his former 681.AS irons. Now, Simpson has his initials on set of 682.WS irons. According to Van Wezenbeeck, the custom project started at this year’s U.S. Open, and after rounds of R&D prototyping and testing with Simpson, he finally received the final versions at The RSM Classic this week. The set of 682.WS irons even has Simpson’s preferred “5.5” iron, which splits the difference in loft between a 5 and 6 iron. At the 2022 Players Championship, Simpson told GolfWRX.com that he started using a 5.5 iron to fill in yardage gaps after adding he took out his 6-iron to add a fourth wedge. He strengthened his 7-iron, and bent his 5-iron to a 5.5-iron. Simpson likes what he likes, and now he finally has his perfect set.

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Although it’s never hosted a sanctioned event for professionals, Erin Hills Golf Course isn’t entirely foreign land to the field of 156 at the U.S. Open. Eighteen entrants competed in the 2011 U.S. Amateur. Half advanced to match play, including Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Russell Henley, Harris English and Peter Uihlein. Among those who failed to advance, Brooks Koepka, Emiliano Grillo and PGA TOUR rookie C.T. Pan are the most notable. Still, there’s only so much calming of the nerves that limited experience as an amateur six years ago can have in a major championship. So, just like a couple before it this year, this edition of this weekly staple focuses solely on specific statistics that project success on the 7,741-yard behemoth northwest of Milwaukee. NOTE: For each of the stats below, all in the field who rank inside the top 25 on the PGA TOUR are cited. * – In the Power Rankings Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green Always relevant, its value increases when unfamiliar greens serve as the targets. Hitting full shots is a constant. Being in tune with distance and accuracy is evidence of confidence. Greens in Regulation With generous fairways, the trouble is pronounced around greens. Dastardly bunkers are poised to swallow wayward approach shots. The final leaderboard may very well consist of those who lead the field in GIR. Scrambling While the winner is expected to land several strokes under par, lest we forget that this is a U.S. Open. Salvaging pars after finding trouble can feel like finding birdies and can score like half-birdies. So, scrambling supersedes bogey avoidance as the preferred angle. Strokes gained: putting may be more statistically relevant in retrospect, but with virtually zero experience on the greens at Erin Hills, going in focusing on the up-and-down game is more sensible since putting is baked into it. Par-5 Scoring The USGA has taken heat recently, but it again has the opportunity to showcase which of the world’s best golfers deserve to be crowned the 117th champion of the national open. It will not hurt the optics that Erin Hills is the first par 72 to host a U.S. Open since Pebble Beach in 1992. And while all four par 5s can stretch over 610 yards – it’s possible for the 18th hole to reach 675 yards – those are the holes that will help generate churn on the leaderboard. Expect the USGA to dial in yardage based on wind, hole locations and relevant difficulty of holes before and after each.

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